At an appeal hearing against his sentence in 2024, Merrill argued there was no land named Six Acres as, although that was its postal address, the land is “God’s land named Earth”.
Merrill argued Judge Bird had failed to consider his faith when passing sentence.
However, the Court of Appeal found his faith should be “the subject of respect” but was “irrelevant to the matters” in the case.
The judges said Merrill’s approach had been “irrational and illogical” and his arguments had been “empty and baseless”, including that he was “immune from the requirements” of planning regulations and “as a man of faith he somehow stands above the law”.
Pearson said: “Whoever you’re inspired by, you still have to deal with the law of the land.
“There have been multiple opportunities for him to comply with the orders and he’s had his opportunity to make his case to the court.
“The court has made a decision, the court has given an instruction and he’s still not complied, which is why he’s in prison.”
